


Sour Times

by blendedcandy



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, Established Relationship, M/M, Past Abuse, Post-Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Torture, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-05-17
Updated: 2016-07-02
Packaged: 2018-03-30 23:58:27
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,662
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3956767
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blendedcandy/pseuds/blendedcandy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“Buck? I’m going now,” Steve says while pulling on his boots. </p><p>“Aren't you gonna kiss me goodbye?” he laughs. </p><p>“No. I’ll kiss you when you get back. Because you will be back.” Bucky states firmly while lazily glancing down at the newspaper in his lap. </p><p>Bucky looks up and begins again “Just… get back in one piece Stevie. Okay?” </p><p>“Yes mother,” breathes Steve sarcastically as he pecks a kiss on Bucky’s forehead. </p><p>“Hey! I said no kisses until you get back! Get out of here Rogers.” Bucky says angrily. </p><p>With that Steve walks out of the door, not looking back.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey friends, this is literally the first thing I have ever written, so I'm really sorry if my writing is awful (I feel like I'm putting full stops in all the wrong places oh god) I would really appreciate any sort of feedback as to whether this is even remotely good, and yeah just thank you if you take the time to read it :)

“Buck? I’m going now,” Steve says while pulling on his boots. 

“Aren't you gonna kiss me goodbye?” he laughs. 

“No. I’ll kiss you when you get back. Because you will be back.” Bucky states firmly while lazily glancing down at the newspaper in his lap. 

Bucky looks up and begins again “Just… get back in one piece Stevie. Okay?” 

“Yes mother,” breathes Steve sarcastically as he pecks a kiss on Bucky’s forehead. 

“Hey! I said no kisses until you get back! Get out of here Rogers.” Bucky says angrily.

With that Steve walks out of the door, not looking back. This isn't the first mission Steve has had to complete without Bucky, and he's sure it won't be the last. Ever since Bucky has come back, Steve has been reluctant to leave him on his own. He has made such progress since then. He no longer lashes out whenever someone goes to touch him. He no longer sleeps with a knife under his pillow. But still, they've been apart for so long, that Steve never wants to be apart from him again. Fury however, is clearly not a romantic at heart, and is unforgiving when it comes to prying them apart. The mission is to go and sort out a hostage situation or something, Steve can't remember, Fury was particularly vague over the phone. But Steve's sure Natasha will catch him up when he arrives at SHIELD headquarters, and when he does she is already waiting for him. 

“Took your time Rogers,” she says with a smirk. She’s in a flowery dress that ends just below her knees, and her hair is pulled back into a high pony tail. 

“You look nice. Whose birthday party are we going to?” 

“Fuck you Steve.” although the words are harsh, the expression on her face shows she’s just joking. 

“Where is Fury?” Steve wonders aloud. 

“On his way apparently. He’s got Hill with him, she’s going to brief us.” 

“You got any idea what we’re doing?” 

“I don’t know. Something about hostages? I wasn't really listening...” Natasha exhales and walks towards the window. 

“Is Bucky doing okay?” she asks slowly not looking at Steve. 

“He’s… We’re okay. I mean… We’re getting there.” he replies. 

“Good. That’s… good. I want you two to come over for dinner on Saturday, Clint is gonna try cooking paella.” she says with a laugh. 

At that exact moment Fury and Maria walk into the room. Steve likes Maria. Bucky does too. She was the only one who could help Bucky towards the beginning. At first when Bucky still refused to let men touch him, she was the one who took care of him. The one who trimmed his hair for him, the one who shaved him, and the one who comforted him when he woke from a nightmare. That was difficult for Steve. He longed to be the one to hold Buck, but he couldn't. He had read the Winter Soldier’s file enough times to know why he couldn't. Bucky was scared of male hands touching him, and Steve understood why. So he was patient. He let Maria take care of Bucky in the ways he couldn't. And eventually Bucky allowed Steve in, realising that Steve would never hurt him like HYDRA had done. 

“Sorry we’re late,” Maria says. 

“Let’s just get straight to it,” she continues. 

“The Hotel Prospective in New York has been taken by the terrorist group ASHA,"

"The Anti-Superhero Association right?" Natasha interrupts.

"Yes," Maria says quickly.

"They have around 400 hostages, and are in the process of killing one per hour until their demands are met,” she continues. 

She pauses. “They want you Steve.”

“What? Why?” Steve stammers. 

“Their aim is to protect people.” She speaks slowly “…they believe that the government has turned you into a weapon. And after what happened in New York, and everything to do with Ultron, they think that the avengers are nothing but an over-powered team of soldiers. They think that you pose a threat to humanity and want you gone.” 

“Wait so they’re trying to protect people, by murdering people?!” Natasha exclaims. 

Maria begins pacing uneasily. 

“They’re headed by someone named Skyla… Her son died during the attack by Ultron.” Her face crumples, and she wanders towards Steve. “Steve… she claims that you killed her son.” 

Steve stumbles backwards slightly. “...What?” 

Maria continues “A bridge collapsed. And the group maintains that you were the one who caused it.” 

“But… But… I would never…” Steve feels like he’s about to throw up. 

Steve suddenly thinks back to what happened, running through everything in his mind. Had he caused a bridge to collapse? He can't remember.

Fury suddenly interjects. “Steve. You did what you had to do to stop Ultron. If you hadn't everyone on Earth would be dead,” he says looking frustrated. 

“There is bound to be civilian casualties in any conflict. You’re a soldier, you know this,” he continues. 

“But…” Steve begins. 

“No. We don’t have time to argue. At this very second hostages are being killed” Fury says angrily. 

Natasha gently places a hand on Steve’s shoulder and glares at Fury. “What do you want us to do?” 

“You need hand yourself over Steve.” Maria quietly offers. 

“No!” Natasha says with a sudden ferocity. “How will that help?” she continues. 

“No. She’s right Nat. We need to get them to stop killing people… I’ll go.” Steve mutters standing slightly taller. 

Fury starts again “Once you’re in Steve, we need you to take down Skyla.” 

“We’re getting Hawkeye and Huntsman to infiltrate the building from below while your handing yourself in,” Maria says. 

“What are the police doing?” Natasha quickly asks. 

“They can’t get anywhere close to the building. Anytime they try, they kill another hostage,” Maria almost whispers. 

Fury looks towards Natasha with a serious look on his face. “Natasha, we need you to get in from above. Get in and free Rogers, and then help him take Skyla down,” 

“A jet is waiting on the roof to take us there, I’ll brief you further on the way,” Maria interrupts. 

Fury glances Natasha up and down, “What are you wearing Natasha… Get changed before you go. You can't take down a terrorist organisation wearing that.” 

“Uhhhh yes I can. You've now persuaded me to not get changed, just to prove you wrong. Can everyone just stop judging my fashion sense please, I think I look very summery,” she says while beginning to twirl on the spot. 

Steve laughs, but it turns sour in his mouth. He remembers what ASHA says he's done. It was painful to hear that his actions had directly resulted in someone’s death. What he had done was to protect everyone though, right? He was trying to save everyone. Obviously he had failed. He knows he can't focus on this now, there is no time. There are 400 people in danger, 400 people he can save.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Like before, any and all feedback is extremely welcome :')

They make it to New York in about 30 minutes. Maria has continued to brief them on the situation and exactly what they need to do. She outlines the amount of guards ASHA has posted throughout the hotel. She tells Steve that they think Skyla is on one of the highest floors. Steve knows they will most likely handcuff him as soon as he is in their custody, but Natasha has her gadgets to get him out of them. All she needs to do is get to Steve before they get him to Skyla. 

Steve is sitting tensely as they prepare to land. The only thing he has been able to think about for the past half hour is how many hostages must have died. Died because of him. It’s been about 3 hours since he said goodbye to Bucky this morning, which means 3 innocent people are dead. He called Bucky while they were flying, to explain what was happening. Bucky sounded nervous as Steve described to him the details of the plan. Bucky’s last words to Steve were “You still owe me a proper kiss. You better come back Stevie.” His words rattle around Steve’s mind as they touch down. 

“Are you okay Steve?” Natasha asks looking worried. 

“Yes. Let’s just fix this.” Steve replies coldly. 

Natasha stands up and crosses over to Clint who had joined them before they set off. She’s still wearing her flowery dress, and looks ridiculous stood next to the rest of them who are all wearing tight black combat-ready gear. 

“I like the pony tail,” Clint whispers to her.

“Thank you! Steve seems to think it makes me look like a school girl,” she responds. 

“It kinda does,” Clint says as he lifts his arms to embrace her. 

“That’s it! No-one make any comments about my hair from now on. My hair is beautiful.” She exclaims loudly as she playfully pushes Clint away from her. 

Steve likes Clint and Natasha together. They go together well, and they both seem to have a good effect on the other. It had taken him and rest of the avengers an embarrassingly long time to realise that there was more between them than what they let on. It was Bucky actually who had first spotted it. He casually mentioned it to Steve one day after they had all completed a mission together. He had said, to Steve’s surprise, that he knew because of the way Clint looked at Natasha. It was the same way Bucky had felt himself look at Steve. 

As much as Steve tried to persuade him not to, Bucky spared no time in jokingly asking Natasha when her and Clint were getting married. Natasha had actually looked shocked when Bucky asked her that, and Natasha never looked shocked. She seemed to realise that the cat was out the bag, so promptly revealed that her and Clint were actually engaged. At that Bucky had looked even more shocked than she had done. She even asked Bucky to help her plan the wedding, which Bucky had no problem with. After that she and Clint hadn't bothered to try and hide their relationship in public, so it wasn't a shock to see them display such affection for each other. Steve pictures Bucky’s expression when Clint had asked him to be one of his groomsmen, it was the happiest Steve had ever seen him, and the memory makes Steve smile. The memory begins to fade just as Maria emerges from the cockpit. 

“Okay everyone. We all know the plan. Let’s get this done,” she says to them all loudly. 

“Steve? You’re still with us right?” she asks him while waving a hand in front of his face. Steve realises he’s been staring into space for a while, and speaks quickly to placate her. 

“Yeah… Let’s just go,” he states, trying his best to appear relaxed. 

When they emerge from the plane there are already cars waiting to take them straight to Prospective. The day is grey, and it’s raining lightly. The car ride is quick, and Steve does his best to pay attention to what Maria is saying to him. But none of it is going in, he’s too preoccupied imagining the boy he killed. He wonders how old he was. 

“How do they know I brought the bridge down?” he suddenly asks. 

“Steve…” Maria whispers. 

“Please Maria.” 

“There's footage Steve. You brought it down. You were fighting Ultron’s drones, and it… It all happened so quickly. You were gone before it collapsed,” Maria says almost sadly. 

“How many were on it,” Steve demands. 

“13.” Maria replies quietly. 

Steve feels his heart lurch. So it wasn't just one that had died because of him. 13 people were dead. 16 if you count the 3 that had died in the hotel. 

“Thank you Maria…” he mumbles. 

They arrive to the hotel about 10 minutes later, and as they pull up Steve takes note of the boundary the police have set up around it. There are policemen everywhere, and ambulances too. Panicked crowds surround the police barrier, trying to see what’s happening. As they get closer Steve watches Clint look out of the window up at the front of the hotel, then suddenly glance at him with a worried look in his eyes. And that’s when Steve sees it. ASHA has lowered a huge banner from one of the highest floors. It’s so massive it reaches about half way to the ground. On it are gigantic black words that read “STEVE ROGERS = MURDERER” 

“Steve?” Natasha asks, searching his face to try and gauge his reaction. 

“I’m fine.” He offers weakly. 

Clint looks as if he wants to say something, but can’t quite seem to find the words. 

Natasha starts again. “Steve. If we hadn't stopped Ultron, everyone would be dead,” Steve tries to avoid her gaze as she attempts to catch his eye. 

“You’re not a murderer, Steve.” Maria adds. 

Clint speaks softly “It’s them. They’re the murderers,” 

“And we’re going to stop them.” Natasha finishes. 

They step out of the car and are suddenly approached by a tall man in a suit. He shakes Maria’s hand and turns to Steve. 

“We’re thankful you are here to sort this mess out,” he starts. 

“Pay no mind to that,” gesturing vaguely toward the banner. “We know what you do for this country, and whatever they claim you have done, we know it’s not true. They want anarchy. Without the avengers, we would not have survived this long, and they are ridiculous to claim otherwise.” 

“We best get on with it,” Natasha interrupts, pulling Steve away from the man in the suit. Maria follows as they head towards a helicopter sat not far away. 

“Are you going to fly that?” Steve asks incredulously. 

“Duh. How else would I get to the top of the building?” 

“But… they’ll hear you coming,” Steve wonders. 

“That’s the point dummy. To draw their guards upwards so Clint and Jesse can get in without much interference and get to the hostages.” She says while she steps into the helicopter. 

“Good luck Steve, see you inside I guess.” She adds before Maria guides Steve away. 

Maria begins talking quickly to him as they walk. “Hawkeye and Huntsman are in position, they found their way into the basement of the hotel through the sewers. All that needs to happen now is…” 

“I need to hand myself over.” Steve finishes for her.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, I hope you like this chapter :) It took me a while to decide what direction to take this in, and yeah just thank you for reading <3 (any feedback about whether this chapter is good, or maybe about what direction you want the story to take would be greatly appreciated)

Just as he had predicted, Steve’s hands are cuffed behind his back as soon as he enters the foyer of the hotel. The 10 or so of ASHA’s guards that surround him then waste no time in dragging him into a large elevator, all whilst pointing guns into his face. He’s forced into the center of the space, while the guards form a circle around him. A very tall, very broad man stands in front of Steve as the doors of the elevator close. He has light blonde hair and piercing black eyes which are staring directly at him. There is a large scar crossing his face, starting at the top right corner of his mouth and stretching all the way across his cheek. He moves closer, so close that Steve can feel his breath when he speaks.

“The famous captain America,” he says in a faintly Russian accent.

Steve says nothing and stares past the man with black eyes, trying to ignore him. He knows he’s trying to provoke him. Looking for an excuse to hurt him before they get to Skyla.

“So why did you hand yourself over cap? Let me guess... Feeling guilty?” he continues.

Steve doesn't respond.

“Didn't you hear me cap? I’m talking to you,” 

Steve doesn't respond.

The large man looks frustrated, and has apparently had enough of Steve ignoring him.

Steve sees the punch coming, but it connects before he can react. It knocks him off balance, and he stumbles backwards slightly. He feels his nose crunch, and his vision blurs for a few seconds. The punch was hard. Harder than a punch coming from a non-supersoldier should be. _Who is this man?_ Steve wonders to himself as blood begins to drip down his face. The elevator suddenly jerks to a stop, they’re on the 59th floor. It appears they've reached their destination.

“Don’t worry captain, Skyla’s much nicer than I am,” the man with the scar says as the doors open behind him.

The armed men and women drag Steve out of the elevator and into a large function hall. The ceiling is made entirely of glass and Steve can hear the light pattering of rain as it hits the panes. The hall is empty, apart from a single chair towards the center, on which a woman with black hair sits. Her dark blue eyes follow Steve as he’s pulled towards her. As soon as he’s in front of her he feels a sharp kick to the back of his legs forcing him to his knees. She smiles.

“Steve… It’s good to finally meet you,” she says calmly.

“My name is Skyla,”

Steve thinks carefully before speaking. He has to stall Skyla long enough for Natasha to get past whatever must be making her late. _She should’ve been here by now._

He looks into her eyes as he speaks slowly, “I know your son died during Ultron’s attacks… It was never my intention for anybody to get hurt. And I am truly sorry for what happened. But you've killed innocent people and I've given myself in… Just like you wanted. Let the rest of them go,”

Skyla speaks softly. 

“No Steve. You aren't sorry. My son was 9 years old. And he's dead because of the avengers...”

“I'm sorry. We were trying to protect the planet.” Steve replies sadly. 

“This planet needs to be protected from you. Not by you,” she counters, her voice getting louder. 

She exhales deeply before continuing, and pauses to lean forward so her face is inches away from Steve’s. Her voice suddenly becomes quiet and she whispers.

“Ultron… Tony Stark created Ultron… And my son died because you had to clean up Stark’s mistake.”

Skyla touches Steve’s cheek lightly. 

“The truth is Steve. The world doesn't need to be saved by you… The world needs to be protected from you. And ASHA is going to stop you, before your mistakes kill more people.”

Steve feels a sudden rush of anger and almost shouts his reply, “But you’re killing people!” You’re killing hostages!”

Skyla looks amused.

“Do you really think we've been killing them Steve? We aren't the avengers. _We_ value life.” She swiftly replies.

That confuses Steve. _What does she mean?_

"What are you talking about?" Steve asks. 

“They’re downstairs Steve. They're all alive,” she replies.

“What choice did the police have but to believe us when we said we were killing them…? It was a trap Steve. To lure you here. A hero like you couldn't sit idly by while innocent people died, could you?” Skyla continues with a smile.

“What do you want from me?” Steve asks.

“I want you to feel what I feel, I want you to understand what you have done,” her eyes are full of pain as she pulls a gun from under her chair and holds it loosely in one hand.

Steve needs Natasha to get here. Right now. _Where is she?_

Skyla seems to read his mind. “I must say… The famous Black Widow is nowhere near as good as I thought she would be,”

Steve’s feels his heart drop. _They must have gotten her._

“She did manage to take out a handful of my men before she came across Lexa’s brother,” she gestures towards the man with the scar on his face.

“Hawkeye and Huntsman and whoever else you bothered to send have no doubt reached the hostages by now… It doesn't matter, we were going to let them go anyway,” she continues while rising from her chair.

Steve’s gaze follows as Skyla looks towards the entrance of the hall. A large man walks in, dragging with him a handcuffed and unconscious Natasha.

“Oh. And here she is now.” Skyla says smugly.

 _They must be enhanced._ Steve thinks to himself. _Natasha can get past anyone._

“Let her go. You wanted me, you have me,” Steve reacts, suddenly rushing to stand up.

“Careful Steven. You wouldn't want Viktor to harm sweet Natasha, would you?”

Steve looks around and sees the man who must be Viktor pointing a gun at Natasha’s temple. He reluctantly lowers himself back to his knees.

“Don’t hurt her,” Steve begs.

“Don’t worry Steve. I want you to feel what I felt when you took my son from me. I want you to feel someone you love being pulled away from you. You love Natasha… But there is someone you love more,”

She steps towards him, and crouches down so they’re face to face and faintly smiles. 

“How is James? The Winter Soldier?”

Steve freezes. His thoughts scream. _How does she know about Bucky?_ _No-one apart from a few that Fury trusts know the Winter Soldiers identity…_ After the Triskelion was destroyed, what was left of SHIELD claimed to have captured the Winter Soldier, and detained him in a high-security detention facility. That was the official story at least… When Bucky had come back and proven that he was no longer under HYDRA’s control, SHIELD had employed him. But as far as the public were concerned SHIELD still had the Winter Soldier locked up. Bucky never made public appearances with the avengers. No-one knows who he is. _How can she?_

“I don’t know what you’re talking about…” Steve whispers.

Skyla laughs.

“You have a very nice apartment Steve. I must say I’m surprised that you left him there all alone and unprotected this morning…”

“What have you done with him?!” Steve shouts, suddenly lunging towards her. A guard pulls Skyla out of the way while more pounce towards him and pin him down.

“Like I said Steve. I want you to feel what I feel, I want you to understand what you have done.” There are tears beginning to pool in her eyes as she speaks. 

“Please…” Steve whimpers.

Skyla pulls a phone out from her pocket, and holds it to Steve’s face.

“You forced us to this Steve.”

On the small screen is a live-feed to a dark windowless room that Steve doesn't recognise. In the middle is a shirtless man slumped in a chair, unconscious. He has cuts across his chest, and his face is bruised and bloody. His arms hang limply by his sides, one looks severely broken.

The other one is metal.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (p.s. I'm really sorry if my writing is really amateur, still getting used to this whole writing thing lmao)


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, sorry this update took forever omg. And yeah just any feedback is really welcome, thank you for reading <3

_No. No. How is this happening? This can’t be happening. I just saw him. I just saw him. How could I have left him alone? I promised him he would be safe. I promised him. I promised._

Steve tries to speak but the words get caught in his throat. A whispered, “Please don’t hurt him,” is all he can manage.

Skyla smiles at him.

“Oh don’t worry, we’re not going to kill him _yet_.” She says almost kindly as she pulls the phone from Steve’s face. “I want him to die in front of you. Just like my son died in front of me.” She continues whilst wiping the tears from her eyes. Her hand strokes Steve’s cheek lightly before talking again. “You will feel true loss. Just like the millions of loved ones of those you have killed have felt. Maybe then you will have respect for life, and will understand that your actions have consequences.” She stares deep into Steve’s eyes for a few moments before rising and walking quickly towards the elevator.

Steve doesn’t bother fighting as the guards around him drag him after her. The image of Bucky slumped in that chair consumes his mind. _How did they get him_? Even a team of 40 wouldn’t be enough to take down the Winter Soldier. _How did they overpower him?_ The fact that they managed to capture Bucky only confirms his suspicions that some of them must be enhanced in some way. _Who are these people?_

Skyla is already waiting in the elevator with around 10 guards when Steve is pulled in. A still unconscious Natasha is pulled in quickly after by the large man named Viktor. He’s still pressing the barrel of a gun up against her temple, a clear warning that if Steve tries anything, she’ll die. Steve is forced face first on the floor, and feels a gun being pressed against the back of his head. He strains his neck upwards and can just make out Skyla pressing the button to take them to the roof. As the doors close and they begin to rise Skyla speaks again.

“Agent Hill is also not quite as good as her reputation suggests.” She says quietly.

 _So they’ve got Maria too._ Steve thinks to himself. _She was on the ground though… Surrounded by the police force. How did they reach her?_

“She was almost too easy to take,”

“And it’s a shame the other avengers are busy in Paris right now, or they could come and help you, couldn’t they?” Skyla continues in a sarcastic tone. “Huntsman and Hawkeye could come and help I suppose… But they are no doubt still shepherding the hostages out of the hotel,” Steve tries to block out her voice and closes his eyes. “We will be long gone before SHIELD realises anything is wrong, and sends the rest of whatever firepower they have left to try and rescue you.” Skyla finishes.

“The helicopter is ready for take-off,” a guard quickly offers to Skyla.

“Good. Let’s get out of this place. The police must have begun to suspect something is wrong.” She replies softly.

The elevator jerks to a stop, and the door opens to a howling wind. They have reached the roof. Steve is suddenly pulled to his feet and led out, quickly followed by Skyla. Dark clouds fill the sky, and Steve can feel as heavy rain showers down on them. One of the two black helicopters on the rooftop has its doors open and blades spinning.

Steve can feel the gale whipping around them as they move slowly towards the waiting helicopter. _Where are they going?_ He silently wonders. They will no doubt be tracked to wherever they’re going by the authorities and SHIELD. They might even be shot out of the sky. _What is Skyla doing?_

Skyla is the first to get into the craft, followed by Viktor pulling Natasha with him. Then the 5 or so guards surrounding Steve drag him in too, and pull the doors shut, silencing the loud wind. Steve is forced into the seat opposite Skyla and is belted down.

He watches as Natasha is buckled in a couple seats down from him, her head lolls forwards and her arms drop limply in her lap. There is a faint trickle of blood running from her temple, and her nose looks broken, but there is nothing else to suggest why she is still unconscious. Her being out for this long isn’t a good sign, and her injuries must be far more severe than they look. Steve knows that at best she is badly concussed, and worries that her skull might be fractured. If she doesn’t wake up soon, there is a chance she might sustain brain damage.

“She needs medical attention. Now.” Steve exclaims loudly.

“Relax Steven. When we reach our destination she’ll be taken care of,” Skyla replies calmly.

“Where _are_ we going?” He asks without looking at her.

“Not far. We’ll be there soon,”

Steve feels the helicopter begin to rise, and shifts uneasily in his seat.

“See? We’re on our way.” She finishes.

Steve’s mind wonders back to Bucky. _She’s going to kill him. Because of me._ His chest feels tight, and tears pool in his eyes. But he knows his only chance of saving Bucky now is to reason with Skyla. He needs her to change her mind. This might be his last opportunity to get through to her. He needs to speak. Now.

“You said you value life?” He begins.

“Yes.” She replies curtly.

“But you want to kill Bucky? He’s innocent. He’s alive. And you want to take his life away?” Steve counters quickly.

Skyla laughs at that. “Don’t pretend that James Barnes is innocent,” her eyes meet Steve’s. “The Winter Soldier has what? Over 150 confirmed kills? I’ve read the HYDRA file Steve. I know what he has done.”

“That wasn’t Bucky!” Steve shouts, as anger envelopes him.

“If you’ve read the file, then you know that wasn’t him! HYDRA brainwashed him!” He continues.

“And who’s to say he still isn’t brainwashed! How can you trust him Steve? He could be biding his time, waiting for the perfect time to kill you? How can you know that he still isn’t the Winter Soldier?” Skyla retorts.

“He’s not. He’s just Bucky.” Steve whispers in response. The rage that had consumed him suddenly falling away.

“You can’t know that Steve. He’s a risk to everyone. We’re doing the world a favour by removing him.” Skyla says quietly.

Steve looks out of one of the windows, down onto buildings he doesn’t recognise. They’ve been airborne for a while now, and the hotel is far out of sight. Rain still pours around them, and Steve can hear the faint rumble of thunder. _Where is SHIELD?_ Hawkeye must have contacted them by now to let them know something went wrong. _They must be tracking us. They must be._

“SHIELD will find us.” Steve states calmly.

“I have no doubt they will. It doesn’t matter… SHIELD won’t be able to get past our defences without your fellow avengers. And by the time they get back from Paris… It’ll all be over.” She replies slowly.

Steve sits in silence for the rest of the journey with his eyes closed. _I never should have left him alone this morning. I never should have left him alone this morning. I never should have left him alone this morning._ The thought pervades his mind, and tears at his heart. Steve had promised him that he would never let anyone hurt him again. He had broken his promise. And now it was his own action’s that would cost Bucky’s life. If he hadn’t of killed Skyla’s son, then Skyla would not be about to kill Bucky. The realisation that he's indirectly murdering Bucky hits him, and gasped chokes erupt from him. He can’t breathe.

A blindfold is suddenly pulled across Steve’s eyes, and he is unceremoniously dragged out of the helicopter. They must have touched down without him realising. He can feel concrete under his feet, and the rain which still pours down. After walking for about 5 minutes, he can tell they’ve moved inside. He’s led into what must be an elevator, and it begins to descend downwards _. We must be underground._

After exiting the elevator, and being guided through various door for about 10 minutes Steve feels as he’s forced to sit in a chair. His handcuffs are removed, and replaced by heavier ones. He feels his mouth being forced open by a piece of rope as he’s gagged. Chains loop around his ankles, and are bound in place. He can’t move.

“And here we are Steve.” Skyla whispers into his ear.

The blindfold is removed, and Steve can finally see where he is. He’s sat in a dark room, with a heavy sheet of glass separating it into two halves. Through the glass Steve can see Bucky on the other side. He’s stood against the wall, bound upright by handcuffs chaining his wrists above his head. His panicked eyes wander the room, and it’s clear that he’s been beaten more. Blood covers his face, and there are more bruises covering his chest. He doesn’t look at Steve.

Steve rushes to get up, but is held by the chains that bind him. He goes to shout out Bucky’s name but his voice is muffled by the gag. _Why can’t he see me?_

“One way mirror,” Skyla answers for him. She moves in front of Steve’s view of Bucky and looks down into his eyes. “Just remember. This is your own fault.”

A door in Bucky’s half of the room opens, and the man with the scar that punched Steve earlier walks in. In his hand is scalpel.

Bucky begins to struggle in distress when he sees the blade. Tears pool in his eyes, and he violently fights against his handcuffs.

“Please! No more.” Bucky sobs out.

Steve loses it. He writhes and pulls as hard as he can against his restraints but they don’t budge. He screams against his gag, but his muffled begs do nothing to stop the man advancing towards Bucky. He turns to Skyla and pleads with his eyes. _Please don’t do this._ She looks back at him with a sick smile plastered on her face.

“Let’s begin.” She says softly.

Steve looks back to see Bucky thrashing against his restraints in an effort to escape the man with the scar. He can see Bucky’s broken arm further distorting, but he doesn’t realise, or just doesn’t care. The scarred man raises the blade to Bucky’s chest, and slowly begins to carve into his flesh.

Bucky screams.


	5. Chapter 5

_This was never supposed to happen again. I was supposed to protect him._

It had been about an hour since the scarred man had stopped torturing Bucky. The scalpel had left long slices all over his chest, criss-crossing like some bizarre work of art. Blood dripped down onto the floor, and fresh purple bruises began flowering across his skin. Bucky hadn’t screamed much, just at the beginning. At first he had called Steve’s name desperately, but then had simply begun staring into space with a blank expression on his face, clearly trying to remove himself from the horror entirely.

Steve on the other hand had struggled violently against his restraints nearly continuously. Moaning Bucky’s name against his gag every few minutes. Skyla had stayed to smugly watch for about twenty minutes before leaving with a guard to deal with something. Whatever it was must have been important. She was reluctant to leave until the guard had whispered something into her ear that Steve thought vaguely sounded like “Black Widow” before both of them had hurriedly rushed out of the room.

In his desperation to help Bucky, Steve had completely forgotten about Natasha. _Maybe she’s dead._ He thought to himself. _Maybe they couldn’t save her. Maybe they never meant to help her at all. Maybe they’ve killed her._

Steve’s mind is still consumed thinking of what could have become of Natasha when Bucky suddenly begins to hyperventilate. His breathing becomes heavy and quick and his eyes search around the room panicked. Steve knows he must be having a flashback of his time with HYDRA. Whatever they did to him back then must be horrifyingly similar to what’s happening to him now. Tears fill Bucky’s eyes and he begins to pull against his handcuffs again. His breaths are still sharp and heavy, and Steve can almost feel how fast his heartbeat is through the glass. His broken arm is covered in worrying patches of purple, bruises from where the bone must be pushing up from underneath.

_Where is SHIELD? They must have tracked us here._ Steve thinks desperately. _They need to be here. The need to get here. Now._

All of a sudden Steve hears gunfire out in the corridor. Bucky hears it too, his eyes darting towards the door. _SHIELD. They’ve found us._ Men are shouting and Steve hears a woman scream. Something that can only be a grenade goes off, leaving a high pitched ringing in Steve’s ears. Then the shooting stops. There is only silence. The quiet stretches on for a few tense minutes before someone bursts into the room.

It’s Natasha. She’s covered in blood. A lot of blood. In her arms she carries two rifles, equally as covered in red. The dark liquid drips to the floor leaving a small puddle where she stands. She smiles.

“Hey Stevie.” She says cheerfully, while walking towards him quickly. She cuts through his gag with a small blade that seems to appear from nowhere. Small patches of red stain Steve’s cheeks from her hands as she works.

“Bucky. Help him.” Steve states quickly, gesturing towards the window separating them.

“Yeah, I know. I tried to get through the door to his room, but even a grenade won’t make a dent in it. We’re going to have to shoot the glass out.” She speaks quickly as she starts unlocking the cuffs around Steve’s wrists and ankles with keys she somehow acquired. “I managed to take out the guards outside this room, but there’ll be more here soon. We have to hurry.”

“How did you get out?” Steve asks.

“They didn’t even check that I was really unconscious. ASHA is really quite amateur. I just waited for the right time… It was easy really.” She replies smugly. Natasha had just unlocked the final restraint from Steve’s ankle when a stray guard bursts into Bucky’s half of the room. He runs towards him, with a large syringe full of something and roughly injects it into his flesh arm. Bucky wildly thrashes until whatever he had just been pumped full of takes hold. He struggles to keep his eyes open, until his head lolls forward and he’s finally still.

Steve jumps up from his chair and grabs a gun from Natasha. He points it towards the glass and-

“Steve, wait!”

-starts shooting wildly, praying that the glass will break. It does. Shards of broken glass go flying everywhere, and both Natasha and the guard dive for cover. Steve feels as a cut opens across his cheek, and a small chunk of the glass gets embedded in his hand. He finally stops shooting. The wall of glass hasn’t shattered completely, there’s still tall jagged segments of it rising from the floor. He wastes no time in jumping over shards into Bucky’s half of the room, with Natasha quickly following him.

“Bucky!” Steve shouts, rushing towards the lifeless man.

“What was that? What did you inject him with?” Natasha suddenly shouts at the guard now cowering in the corner. She presses the barrel of her gun against his temple, and he stammers as he tries to reply.

“It…it was… was just to knock him out…” He says finally. Sweat shines on his forehead and it’s clear he’s terrified.

“How long will it last?” Natasha asks, suddenly quiet.

“I’m… not sure. It would normally last an hour, but his metabolism… so probably less.” 

“Shame we can’t wait that long. I’m sure he would have liked to have been the one to kill you.” She replies with a smile.

“Wait! I was ordered to! They forced me to do it!” He shouts, blind panic setting in and tears streaming down his face. “Don’t hurt me!”

“Steve?” Natasha asks, turning to Steve who’s frantically checking for a pulse at Bucky’s neck.

“Just ‘knock him out’” He growls back, not looking at her.

Natasha suddenly pulls back the gun before butting it violently back into the guards face. He loses consciousness immediately and slumps to the floor, blood running from his nose. She walks over to Steve and hands him a set of keys.

“Here. Try these.” She says.

Miraculously the handcuffs suspending Bucky from the wall unlock immediately. Steve catches him as he falls. Blood still leaks from the cuts crossing Bucky’s chest, and Steve’s uniform quickly becomes saturated with red as he holds Bucky to him.

_I’m sorry Buck. This shouldn’t have happened._ Steve thinks as he surveys Bucky’s injuries.

“Steve, let’s go.” Natasha says quietly.

“Okay.” Steve replies.

With that Steve hoists Bucky up into his arms. Natasha walks out of the door first, pointing her gun ahead of her. Then Steve follows, carrying Bucky in his arms.  

**Author's Note:**

> Should I keep writing? (any sort of feedback will be really appreciated!)


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